…with sincere apologies to "Auld Lang Syne"
Should smart phones be your pick next year
and cords at home unplugged.
Should Apple products be your choice
and the Android phone debugged.
CHORUS:
For Sprint, Verizon, Bell, my dear,
for all but A T and T,
We'll wait another calendar year
till they offer new 4 G.
Should Bill and Steve become good friends
as if they were in heaven,
We’ll see the i-Phone running apps
on devices with Windows 7.
CHORUS
And should you want to read a book
no store trip is required.
You’ll read from Sony, Kindle and Nook;
all of them will be unwired.
CHORUS
So may your Facebook friends increase
and follow you on Twitter.
Go try a few new apps a week
so you won’t look like a quitter.
CHORUS
Thus as we end another year
We are sad and we will wail.
Take heart and have no fear for
more stuff will come in G-mail.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
More Gift Ideas
Last week I suggested a few hot items for gift giving. Not all electronic gifts are as expensive as flat screen TVs or eReaders. This week I have some ideas for gifts that will delight that special person on your list without breaking your budget.
Let’s start with an item I suggested last year. Based on comments I received it was a big hit. It is a gift that will be appreciated by your grandparents or your favorite aunt or uncle who may live far away. How about giving them an electronic picture frame? These frames come in various sizes from as small as 3” x 5” to as large as 11” x 17”. Essentially they consist of an LCD screen and an internal electronics that can store hundreds of digital pictures. These pictures can be displayed in several ways. You can set the frame to change the display of a different picture each minute or each day. Many will play short videos as well. Most look like traditional frames and can blend in with most any decor.
Rather than just sending the frame, take the time to load some of your family pictures that you shot over the past year. That way when it is plugged in, it will already be a very special gift. After all, your grandparents really don’t want the picture frame; they want to see pictures of your family. Each day, for years to come the frame will continue to keep giving. Most use small SD cards to store the photos. During the year you can mail some inexpensive SD cards already filled with Johnny’s tee ball game and they can enjoy keeping up to date on what’s happening.
These frames are available starting at about $30 for a small frame and can be found in discount stores, electronics stores and online. There are even smaller versions that can be carried in a purse. Won’t Grandma Edyth be a hit at the next bingo game when she shows off pictures of the new granddaughter.
It seems that most everyone has a digital camera. It also seems that whenever the time comes for that family picture there is a mad dash to find a way to set the camera up so the timer can be used allowing everyone to be in the shot. For about $10 you can get that photo buff on your list a mini tripod. They weigh only a few ounces and fold up so they can be carried in a pocket or purse but are sturdy enough to hold a regular size camera.
You don’t have top spend a lot of money to find some items that will be useful all the year long.
Let’s start with an item I suggested last year. Based on comments I received it was a big hit. It is a gift that will be appreciated by your grandparents or your favorite aunt or uncle who may live far away. How about giving them an electronic picture frame? These frames come in various sizes from as small as 3” x 5” to as large as 11” x 17”. Essentially they consist of an LCD screen and an internal electronics that can store hundreds of digital pictures. These pictures can be displayed in several ways. You can set the frame to change the display of a different picture each minute or each day. Many will play short videos as well. Most look like traditional frames and can blend in with most any decor.
Rather than just sending the frame, take the time to load some of your family pictures that you shot over the past year. That way when it is plugged in, it will already be a very special gift. After all, your grandparents really don’t want the picture frame; they want to see pictures of your family. Each day, for years to come the frame will continue to keep giving. Most use small SD cards to store the photos. During the year you can mail some inexpensive SD cards already filled with Johnny’s tee ball game and they can enjoy keeping up to date on what’s happening.
These frames are available starting at about $30 for a small frame and can be found in discount stores, electronics stores and online. There are even smaller versions that can be carried in a purse. Won’t Grandma Edyth be a hit at the next bingo game when she shows off pictures of the new granddaughter.
It seems that most everyone has a digital camera. It also seems that whenever the time comes for that family picture there is a mad dash to find a way to set the camera up so the timer can be used allowing everyone to be in the shot. For about $10 you can get that photo buff on your list a mini tripod. They weigh only a few ounces and fold up so they can be carried in a pocket or purse but are sturdy enough to hold a regular size camera.
You don’t have top spend a lot of money to find some items that will be useful all the year long.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Gift Ideas of the Electronic Kind
Each year about this time I devote a couple of columns to what is hot for gift giving. This week and next I will give you some ideas for gifts for that person who likes anything with a plug attached or battery installed. This week we will look at some fairly expensive options. Next week I’ll suggest some stocking stuffers.
Flat Screen HD TVs are always a big hit. In years past I suggested that you wait to buy a large flat screen TV till after the Super Bowl. (Oops, I mean the “The Big Game.” I didn’t pay the NFL the fee to use the term Super Bowl…sorry Ollie.) This year go ahead. There is no reason to wait since there are some great deals. There is an over supply and most likely the prices will not fall much in the first quarter of 2011.
There are so many choices and sizes to choose from. Staying with a name brand like Sony, Samsung or Panasonic is always a good idea. It is true that the display screens are all made in the same factories but many of the components and features are indeed better in the name brands. I still have a Sony in my basement that we bought when we first got married…that was more than a few years ago.
There are several small screen TVs for the kitchen or camper now available. Many are battery operated and can be used on your deck, boat or camper. They are also useful when Duke’s hamsters go on strike. If the 3D feature is available for not much more money go for it, but 3D programming is still slow to take off and paying a premium is not worth it for most of us.
Other very popular items this year are e-readers. Once the province of only the geekiest among us, e-readers have taken the market by storm. There are several brands each with different features. Amazon.com leads the pack with the Kindle, but Sony, Barnes and Noble and other have models as well.
My suggestion is to choose one that uses e-ink technology. Most electronic devices that require a viewing screen use a system that has some type of back light. Reading from a back lit screen for long periods can be tiring. Also reading in bright sunlight is very difficult. E-ink creates an image that is very much like the printed page and obtains its contrast by reflecting light off the page just like a book.
By far the Amazon.com has the most titles available for the Kindle. On all of the
e-readers the books are loaded via the Internet using either a wifi or 3G connection. Unless you travel extensively, if you have access to wifi you don’t need the 3G option. Most e-readers can hold more than two thousand books. A good e-reader can be purchased for less than $200. A newly released best seller will cost about 10 bucks.
Next week I will concentrate of some items under $35.
Flat Screen HD TVs are always a big hit. In years past I suggested that you wait to buy a large flat screen TV till after the Super Bowl. (Oops, I mean the “The Big Game.” I didn’t pay the NFL the fee to use the term Super Bowl…sorry Ollie.) This year go ahead. There is no reason to wait since there are some great deals. There is an over supply and most likely the prices will not fall much in the first quarter of 2011.
There are so many choices and sizes to choose from. Staying with a name brand like Sony, Samsung or Panasonic is always a good idea. It is true that the display screens are all made in the same factories but many of the components and features are indeed better in the name brands. I still have a Sony in my basement that we bought when we first got married…that was more than a few years ago.
There are several small screen TVs for the kitchen or camper now available. Many are battery operated and can be used on your deck, boat or camper. They are also useful when Duke’s hamsters go on strike. If the 3D feature is available for not much more money go for it, but 3D programming is still slow to take off and paying a premium is not worth it for most of us.
Other very popular items this year are e-readers. Once the province of only the geekiest among us, e-readers have taken the market by storm. There are several brands each with different features. Amazon.com leads the pack with the Kindle, but Sony, Barnes and Noble and other have models as well.
My suggestion is to choose one that uses e-ink technology. Most electronic devices that require a viewing screen use a system that has some type of back light. Reading from a back lit screen for long periods can be tiring. Also reading in bright sunlight is very difficult. E-ink creates an image that is very much like the printed page and obtains its contrast by reflecting light off the page just like a book.
By far the Amazon.com has the most titles available for the Kindle. On all of the
e-readers the books are loaded via the Internet using either a wifi or 3G connection. Unless you travel extensively, if you have access to wifi you don’t need the 3G option. Most e-readers can hold more than two thousand books. A good e-reader can be purchased for less than $200. A newly released best seller will cost about 10 bucks.
Next week I will concentrate of some items under $35.
Monday, December 6, 2010
LED Christmas Lights Keep the Holiday Green
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has adopted them. Many commercial buildings and malls have followed suit. This year may be the right time for you to consider replacing your decorative holiday lights with energy efficient LEDs. Doing so will save energy, reduce your electric bill and, over time, save you some hard cash.
We might overlook these strings of colored lights as a major source of energy waste. The small glass lamps individually consume only a small amount of electricity. The problem is that we don’t often use just one or two bulbs, but attach hundreds on long strings. If you are of my generation, you remember when strings of lights on trees were made up of large bulbs similar to the ones used in night lights and other small appliances. These are called C-9 bulbs. So when the mini lights came out we thought we were already saving energy. It is true that the mini lights consume only about ½ watt of power for each bulb compared to 3 to 5 watts each for the larger C-9 bulbs. Nevertheless, when compared to the efficiency of LED bulbs, even these mini lights are power gluttons.
The standard LED holiday lights consume about 15% of the power used by traditional incandescent mini lights. This not only saves money, but allows you to safely string many more lights in outdoor displays without the need for extra extension cords and power outlets.
When LED lights first came out some people did not like the fact that the light was a “bluish white” rather than the traditional soft white of a candle. Manufactures have made some great improvements and have lights that appear very much like the traditional warm mini lights.
The initial cost of LED lights compared to incandescent mini lights can be significant, as much as double, so you will not save dollars in the first few years of using them. But, since they are much more durable than mini lights and will last up to 10x longer, there will be savings down the road.
So, this year when you are untangling that green mess and trying to find which one of the bulbs is bad and keeping the entire string from lighting up, save yourself some holiday hassle and extend your “green” Christmas beyond the tree in the family room by investing in LED lights.
We might overlook these strings of colored lights as a major source of energy waste. The small glass lamps individually consume only a small amount of electricity. The problem is that we don’t often use just one or two bulbs, but attach hundreds on long strings. If you are of my generation, you remember when strings of lights on trees were made up of large bulbs similar to the ones used in night lights and other small appliances. These are called C-9 bulbs. So when the mini lights came out we thought we were already saving energy. It is true that the mini lights consume only about ½ watt of power for each bulb compared to 3 to 5 watts each for the larger C-9 bulbs. Nevertheless, when compared to the efficiency of LED bulbs, even these mini lights are power gluttons.
The standard LED holiday lights consume about 15% of the power used by traditional incandescent mini lights. This not only saves money, but allows you to safely string many more lights in outdoor displays without the need for extra extension cords and power outlets.
When LED lights first came out some people did not like the fact that the light was a “bluish white” rather than the traditional soft white of a candle. Manufactures have made some great improvements and have lights that appear very much like the traditional warm mini lights.
The initial cost of LED lights compared to incandescent mini lights can be significant, as much as double, so you will not save dollars in the first few years of using them. But, since they are much more durable than mini lights and will last up to 10x longer, there will be savings down the road.
So, this year when you are untangling that green mess and trying to find which one of the bulbs is bad and keeping the entire string from lighting up, save yourself some holiday hassle and extend your “green” Christmas beyond the tree in the family room by investing in LED lights.
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